The best part of summer?

Summer Reading!

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

(10th grade)
Matt feels most at home high above the earth, which is where he spends most of his time, working as cabin boy on the luxury airship the Aurora. One night he rescues a stranded balloonist who claims to have seen beautiful cat-like creatures flying over uncharted land. Matt dismisses these fantastical tales until he meets the balloonist's granddaughter, Kate, who takes a trip on the Aurora hoping to see what her grandfather did before he died. However, the quest to find the truth about the cloud cats become a bit more complicated when the ship is taken over by air pirates, but Kate—who is often braver than the boys sent to protect her—isn't going to let a little thing like air pirates get in her way.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

(10th grade)
Kyle is perfect in almost every way. He's absolutely gorgeous, ridiculously rich, and very popular. But he's not a very nice person--in fact, he's kind of a jerk. But when he decides to pull a prank on the weird girl sitting in the back of class, she has the power to retaliate in a particularly powerful way--by turning him into a beast. Without his looks, he finds he's not quite as popular or perfect as he thought he was. Now he has two years to break this spell--by finding a girl to love, who loves him back--or live as a beast, alone, forever. The classic fairy tale finds a new home in modern-day Manhattan.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

(10th and 11th grade)
Nick doesn't think he has an anger problem. And he doesn't understand why his ex-girlfriend Caitlin felt the need to get a restraining order against him. In fact, Nick thought his life was pretty much perfect until Caitlin flipped out and all his friends dumped him. After all, the only reason he hit Caitlin was because she made him, right? But now that he's in a court-mandated anger management class he's beginning to realize that he--and his life--might not be as perfect as he thought.

The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon

(11th and 12th grade)
In 1991, when Brent Runyon was 14-years-old, he doused his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match.
And then he realized that he didn't really want to die.

What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles

(9th grade)
She was buried alive. By Kyle Kirby, who blames Cass for his brother David’s suicide. Cass has always been able to use her popularity and her looks to talk her way out of anything, but Kyle may take more convincing than she is capable of.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

(11th grade)
When Ben goes for his fall sports physical he finds out that he's dying. After swearing his doctor to secrecy, Ben sets out to live the rest of his life in one year--from joining the football team, to challenging his Government teacher on *everything* to asking out the beautiful Dallas Suzuki. Turns out it’s a lot easier to do and say the things you want to do with out the pressure of “forever” looming over you.Working to keep his failing health a secret becomes more and more difficult as he gets closer to people—is keeping this secret doing more harm than good? Ben has to figure it out quickly—he’s working on a deadline.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

(10th and 11th grade)
Frankie Landau-Banks (called Bunny Rabbit by parents and relatives) changed dramatically between her freshmen and sophomore years at Alabaster Prep--enough to catch the eye of the highly desirable Matthew. But she's not content to sit idly by as he and his friends neglect the legacy of the Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds; if he and his friends aren't willing to uphold the honorable traditions of Alabaster Prep's secret society, she may have to take things into her own hands. She's no Bunny Rabbit anymore.

Everlost by Neal Shusterman

(9th grade)
When Allie and Nick are killed in a car accident they're headed towards the white light and the afterlife—until they bounce off one another and ricochet off into Everlost, the land between the living world and whatever’s at the end of the tunnel. As Afterlights they can’t interact with the living in any way—they can’t even walk where the living walk, and if they stand still for too long they’ll sink into the ground (and, eventually, into the center of the Earth). Allie is determined to get back to her family—even if it means taking on the mysterious and terrifying McGill. But before Allie can get to her family she and Nick end up in New York City at the destroyed World Trade Towers, where the children of Everlost make their home under the care of Mary Hightower, who has made it her “life’s” work to educate greensouls and protect them from the monsters of Everlost. But Allie is determined to get home—even if it means battling The McGill, the Haunter, and even Mary Hightower.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

(9th grade)
An 18-month-old boy toddles away from the home where his family has been murdered —and into the local graveyard where the ghostly residents decide to adopt the orphaned boy and name him Nobody (Bod for short). Bod’s guardian, Silas—who is neither fully dead nor fully alive—provides him with books, food, and anything else he might need from the world beyond the graveyard. Bod learns a lot from the residents of the graveyard—especially when he veers off his regular path—and he’ll need all that knowledge if he’s to survive once he leaves the graveyard and finds the mysterious and nefarious man named Jack, who murdered his family.

Heat by Mike Lupica

(9th and 10th grade)
Michael lives in the shadow of his beloved Yankee Stadium, but his only chance to get in is to pitch his Bronx all-star team to a shot at the Little League World Series. But Michael's skills make rival teams suspicious, and they want him to prove he's not older than 12. But proving how old he is isn't that easy, as his birth certificate is back in Cuba somewhere, and Michael and his brother Carlos are trying to get by on their own--and avoid "Official People" at all costs. But if Michael can prove how old he is—without getting separated from his brother—he will finally find his way onto the field at Yankee Stadium.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

(10th, 11th, and 12th grade)
Reality TV show competitions can be fierce. And for the residents of the United States in the not-so-distant-future, they're even fiercer. Every year two children are selected from each of the 12 districts to compete in the Hunger Games—the winner receives a lifetime of food, wealth, and comfort. But the only way to win the Hunger Games is to eliminate the competition—completely.

Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

(10th grade)
Joey Willis has been deaf since the age of six, but has never learned to sign; her mother won't let her, thinking it will draw to much attention to her deafness. So Joey is left out of much of the world, struggling to read lips when she can, but missing much of the world around her. But all that changes one day when she meets Dr. Charles Mansell and Sukari, the baby chimp he has taught to sign.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

(9th grade)
Percy Jackson is beginning to suspect that there might be something. . . different about him. Part of it's that he's never met his father, has dyslexia and ADD, and has been to six boarding schools in six years. But it's mostly that he had to defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turned into a monster and tried to kill him. And then there's the Minotaur that chased him to summer camp. Suddenly, Percy finds himself amongst the gods and monsters of Greek mythology--and a lot of them are pretty angry with him. Now he has just ten days to find Zeus' stolen property and try to prevent war from breaking out on Mount Olympus (which, by the way, is on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building). Now it's up to Percy and his friends--one a satyr, the other a daughter of the goddess Athena--on their quest to find the lightning thief.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

(11th and 12th grade)
Seventeen-year-old Marcus can work his way around his school's intrusive security systems without breaking a sweat. But he's up against a bit more after a terrorist attack in his home city of San Francisco pits him against the Department of Homeland Security. After being in the wrong place at the wrong time he and his friends are interrogated for days--but when they're released one his friends does not come with them, and Marcus finds himself in a city he barely recognizes. Everyone else seems to be too scared to do anything, but Marcus is determined to protect the freedoms that DHS seems intent on taking away.
A modern-day "1984" and an absolute must-read about freedom, security, and the balance we strike between the two.

Owning It: Stories About Teens with Disabilities edited by Donald R. Gallo

(9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade)
Brad thinks he’s got everything under control—but his friends think otherwise. Life for Amy is one giant headache. Eddie can’t keep his mind—or his mouth—from racing. Courtney looks like she used to, but she certainly doesn’t feel the same. We all have our burdens to bear, but we also have a choice: you can let your troubles own you, or you can own them.

Paper Towns by John Green

(12th grade)
Margo Roth Spiegelman is the quintessential girl next door—and, of course, her next door neighbor Q is in love with her. But only from afar, because despite being neighbors, he’s never been sure how to approach her. But one night she shows up in his bedroom, demanding his help in a series of revenge-based pranks that involve three whole catfish, a six-pack of Mountain Dew, tissues, some Veet, a dozen tulips, a bottle of water, a can of blue spray paint and a giant tub of Vaseline. Q thinks their all-night adventure has brought them closer. But the next morning, she’s gone. But maybe not without a trace. Though her parents—and most everyone else—are fed up with Margo’s extreme behavior, Q is determined to decipher the clues he thinks Margo has left for him. But is he looking for Margo as she is, or only for the Margo he wants her to be?

Peak by Roland Smith

(9th and 10th grade)
After getting caught tagging a skyscraper (what can he say--Peak likes climbing, and he likes to leave his mark), Peak needs to get out of New York City until the heat dies down. So he goes to live with the father he barely knows. Being away from his home and his six-year-old twin sisters would be hard enough--making it a bit harder is the fact that the new home his father takes him to is Base Camp on Mount Everest. Fourteen-year-old Peak would be the youngest person ever to summit Mount Everest, but his father’s encouragement may have more to do with publicity and financial gain than fatherly pride. In order to avoid the prying eyes of a suspicious Chinese police captain Peak’s father sends him to train with his head Sherpa—and Sun-Jo, a 14-year-old Nepalese boy who, at just a few days younger than Peak, is competition to be the youngest person to reach the top of the world

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman

(10th grade)
No one ever notices the Schwa—not at home, not at school, not when he’s standing in the boy’s bathroom wearing neon green and a sombrero. He's afraid that one day everyone will stop noticing him, and he will simply disappear, just like his mom did. Antsy Bonano and his friends, however, see the Schwa's curse as an asset, and make use of his ability to fly under the radar--a plan that works until the Schwa and Antsy get caught by Old Man Crawley and are compelled into community service, walking his 14 Afghans. Antsy is then recruited to be a guide for Lexie, Crawley's blind granddaughter. Flanked by his two friends--one who can't see, and one who can't seem to be seen--Antsy begins to learn what it means to be noticed.

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

(9th grade)
Vince just wants a normal life outside the "vending machine business" but his entire life is tainted in one way or another by his father's business, especially his relationship with Kendra. Dating can be complicated enough on its own—but it’s even more complicated when you're the son of a mob boss dating the daughter of the FBI agent who's investigating him.

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

(9th grade)
Shawn is smart, funny and interested in everything around him—but nobody else can see that, and he has no way to tell them; his body is held prisoner by severe Cerebral Palsy. As frustrating as life is, Shawn is pretty okay with it. But now his father is talking about "ending his pain." Is Shawn's dad really planning on killing him? And how can Shawn—who can't do anything on his own—stop him?

What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

(9th grade)
The story of Sophie's first love. And her second. And, okay, her third love, too. When you're fifteen it can be hard to get your mind, and your body, and your heart to agree on anything.

Witness by Karen Hesse

(10th grade)
When the Ku Klux Klan arrives in a small Vermont town in 1924 the inhabitants are faced with a choice between giving in to their prejudices and protecting their own--including 12-year-old Leanora, who is African-American and 6-year-old Esther, who is Jewish. This haunting story is told by the inhabitants as they make a decision about the type of town they want to have, and the type of people they want to be.

World War Z by Max Brooks

(11th and 12th grade)
Written in the years immediately following the Zombie Wars, Brooks gathers first-hand accounts from all over the world from the first outbreak through the gradual reclamation of the world by the living. Read the stories of the people who lived through the zombie wars, and fought to defeat the zombie menace.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace. . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

(12th grade)

Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah